Apparatus for straightening knitting machine needles and the like



Jan. 5, 1965 F. P. PLACZEK 3,164,195

APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES AND THE LIKE FiledMarch 4, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

3 80 BY FRED P PLACZEK Jan. 5, 1965 F. P. PLACZEK 3,164,195

APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES AND THE LIKE FlledMarch 4 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN 1 OR.

BY FRED F? PLACZEK Jan. 5, 1965 F. P. PLACZEK APPARATUS FORSTRAIGHTENING KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets$heet FiledMarch 4, 1963 INVENTOR.

BY FRED F? PLACZEK 3,164,195 APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENENG KNIT'HNGMACHINE NEEDLES AND TI-E LHQE Fred 1?. Plaezeir, 256 Hoiyoke Road,Westiield, Mass. Fits-d Mar. 4, H63, Ser. No. 262,499 7 Claims. (Cl.15332) This invention relates to an apparatus for straightening latchtype knitting needles wherein a plurality of such knitting needles areall concurrently straightened by exerting a compressive force on a stackthereof and are thereby rendered both rectilinear and of uniform shape.

In the process of making a knitting needle, the metal is shaped, cut,pressed, milled, trimmed and bent all from hook wire, and the resultingproduct is intricately shaped and of thin cross section. The resultingproduct tends to be somewhat misshapen, and the product therefore lacksuniformity in shape and general configuration. These discrepancies ofshape are cumulative, and it is, of course, desirable to produce aproduct which is of uniform shape as well as size. Particularly in thecase of knitting needles, the products should be straight and as nearlyidentical from one to the next to provide for interchangeability withinthe knitting apparatus.

It is one of the principal objects of the present invention to providean apparatus which is capable of simultaneously straightening aplurality of knitting needles of latch type which have been producedfrom hook wire by a series of intricate manufacturing operationsincluding pressing, clipping, milling, shaping, trimming and profilingwhich have necessarily produced some misshaping or" the article becauseof its intricate shape and relatively thin cross section.

It is a further object of the present invention to produce an apparatusfor simultaneously straightening a substantial quantity of knittingneedles While they are disposed in a stack, in order to produce a numberof knitting needles which are of uniform quality and are interchangeablein a knitting apparatus, in spite of their intricate shape and previousprocessing history.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a straighteningprocess for a plurality of intricately shaped knitting needles, whichwill effect a uniform straightening action on each of the needles butwithout deforming the needles or altering any of their essential shapeor con figuration in any respect which is necessary for its functionaloperation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a self-adjustingapparatus which is adapted to straighten a number of knitting needlesand is adapted to conform with various manufacturing tolerances whichaccumulate in a stack of such knitting needles, i.e., in spite ofcumulative manfacturing tolerances the apparatus is nevertheless adaptedto produce its straightening action on said knitting needles.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide astraightening apparatus for knitting needles which is capable of quicklyand economically accomplishing its straightening action as part of atempering operation in which the knitting needles are clamped withuniform pressure in a plurality of directions which will confine theneedles in a straightened condition while they are heat treated toproduce a permanent set of the needles in a straightened condition butwithout altering any of the other intricate convolutions which are apart of the functional requirements for the knitting needle.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom a consideration of the following description, which proceeds withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

United States Patent FIGURE 1 is a top view of the apparatus while it isin clamping relation with a stack of knitting needles of the latch type;

FIGURES 2 and 3 are views looking in the direction of the arrows 22 and3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 and FIGURE 5 are sectional views taken respectively on lines4-4 and 55 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is an isometric detailed view of the pusher means whichdevelops compressive force on the stack of needles in a horizontaldirection;

FIGURE 7 illustrates the apparatus shown in FIG- URE 1 with the coverremoved and the left-hand side of the apparatus including a stack ofknitting needles therein prepared for straightening operation; and,

FIGURE 8 is a side view of the apparatus in FIGURE 1 looking in thedirection of the arrows 88.

Referring now to the drawings, the apparatus designated generally byreference numeral 10 includes a base 12 having a support surface 14which receives a stack 16 of the knitting needles, the stack 16comprising a plurality of side-by-side knitting needles, the end 18 ofthe stack bearing against an abutment block 20 which is received withina notch 22 of the base'lfi.

The abutment Ztl is held against the base 12 by a pair of machine screws24 and 26 (FIGURE 7), the sockets for the screws being recessed so thatthe headset the screws do not extend above the level of the abutmentblock it). The stack 16 of knitting needles is located on edge with oneedge resting on the support surface 14, and the other edge is engaged bya cover 28 having a face 36 which is profiled to follow generally theprofile of the adjacent edges of the stack 16 of knitting needles.

The cover 28 is clamped over the stack 16 of knitting needles by anumber of bolts 32 which are spaced along the length of the apparatusand are mounted perpendicularly in the base 12, passing through openings34 of the cover 28 (FIGURE 2) so that the threaded ends 36 project aboutthe cover and receive nuts 38 which are then turned down to communicatea uniform clamping effort on the cover 28 whereby the stack of needlesis held against buckling while the stack 16 is thrust endwise againstthe abutment 20 (to the right in FIGURE 7).

Compressive endwise thrust on the stack 16 of knitting needles isdeveloped by a pusher 40 having a forward face 42 which conforms withthe adjacent face of the end knitting needle. The pusher 4% isproportioned to fit between the base 12 and cover 28, the nuts 38 beingsufiiciently loosened at the start of clamping operation so that thestack 16 of knitting needles are first com pressed against abutment 2t),completely turned down.

The pusher at} has a key 60 (FIGURE 3) which fits within a keyway of thecover 28 to guide movement of the clamping means in a compressingdirection. The pusher is also guided by means of elongated tracks 64, 66and 68 (FIGURE 7) which receive, respectively, a threaded bolt 76 whichthreads into an opening in the base 12, bolt 32 and pin 72 which, ismounted perpendicularly in the base. These three guide means permitmovement of the pusher means in directions providing endwise clampingand unclamping of the needle stack against abutment 20, but limitlateral movement of the pusher means relatively to the base. Also theslots and guides are constructed so that the pusher 40 can moveangularly thereby assuming an angular position which permit-s it toconform to the variations in the stack of knitting needles, i.e., in theevent that the stack of knitting needles has a cumulative thicknesswhich is uneven end to end, the pusher means can assume slightlydifferent angular dispositions while still maintaining a uniformcompressive action urging the before the nuts 38 are resses stackagainst the abutment 26. The pusher 4-6 is biased against the stack 1%by means of a threaded pin as (FlG- URE 2) which is pivotally mountedthrough an eyelet 32 whereby the pin St} can move angularly in bothdirections indicated by the arrows 83 in FEGURE 1. The pin 8 is threadedso that the clamping nut 34 can be turned down, urging the pusher meanstowards the right in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. The described angular movementof the pusher all is permitted by virtue of the spherical bearing 86which is received Within a companion socket $3 (Pi(3- URE 6) of thepusher means. The socket includes a Slot 90 (FIGURE 6) so that theflange 92 extends over the end of the base, and the socket 88 is inthrust receiving relation with bearing 86 of the compression nut 84.

The compression nut has a knurled surface 94 so it can be convenientlygripped manually and turned down to provide the desired endwise clampingforce on the stack 16 of knitting needles.

In operation, a stack of the knitting needles are placed on edge onsurface 14, the cover 28 having been previously removed, either one sideor both sides of the apparatus can receive a stack of knitting needles.The pushers 49 at the opposite ends of the apparatus are constructed tobe right-hand and left-hand in profiles of their faces to match with thestacks of needles at the right-hand and left-hand ends of the apparatus.The pusher in FIG- URE 6 is located at the right-hand end of theapparatus (FIGURE 2) and an alternate pusher is located at the other endof the apparatus.

Each pusher 4 b is located so that its face 42 bears lightly against theendrnost one of the stack 16 of knitting needles and clamping nut 84 isturned down sufficiently so that convex surface 86 is in thrustengagement with the seat 88. The cover 28 is then fitted in place byslipping the bolts 32 through openings 34 and nuts 38 are then turneddown to engage the upper edges of the knitting needles stack with theprofiled edge of the cover. The clamping nuts 8 are then turned down tourge the pushers do with greater force towards the right, firmlyclamping the stacks of knitting needles between abutment 2t} and faces42 of the pushers it), this compressive force being suiiicient to bringall of the knitting needles into fiat faceto-face engagement andeffecting thereby a rectilinear disposition of each of the needles. Incase the cumulative thickness of the knittingneedles is uneven from endto end, each pusher can tilt angularly to accommodate for suchunevenness, this being permitted by the oversize relation of tracks 64,66 and 68 relatively to the screws 73*, bolt 32 and pin 72, and also byvirtue of the angularly movable stem 88, and ball socket as, 83. Afterthe desired compressive action is eifected horizontally in FIGURE 1, thenuts 35 are turned down to firmly clamp the knitting needles in atransverse direction, and the knitting needles are then tempered toobtain a permanent set of the needles in their rectilinear condition.

It should be noted from FIGURE 2 that the abutment 2b is reinforced bythe cover so that it will not fracture by virtue of the compressiveforce. The apparatus can be loaded from both ends so that knittingneedles in the magnitude of several hundred at a time can bestraightened.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it Willbe understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limitedthereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplatedtherefore, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications asfall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Iclaim:

1. Apparatus for straightening knitting machine needles, comprising:

(a) a base having a support surface for receiving knitting needlesthereon,

(b) means forming an abutment against which a stack of aligned needlesare adapted to be thrust when disposed on said support surface,

(c) pusher means for hearing against one end of a stack of said alignedneedles which are held at the opposed stack end by said abutment,

(r!) biasing means coacting with said pusher means and including aconnection therebctween which rovidcs for limited angular movement ofsaid pusher means and thereby providing edge-to-edge conformableengagement between said pusher means and the stack end of said needles;and,

(c) a cover including clamping members whereby cornplenientary surfacesof the cover member are brought into clamping relation with opposedsurfaces of said knitting machine needles which are thereby confinedduring compression by said pusher means to effect a straightening actionthereon.

2. Apparatus for straightening knitting needles and the like,comprising:

(a) a base providing a support surface for receiving thereon a stack ofsuch knitting machine needles,

(5) abutment means against which stack of needles are thrust duringstraightening operation,

(c) pusher means, acting as a slide on said base and having a surfacethereof bearing against said stack of knitting machine needles to efiectcompressive straightening action thereon,

((1) means forming a track for defining the compression-producingsliding action of said pusher means but limiting lateral movementthereof relatively to said base during straightening operation, saidtrack being dimensioned to provide limited angular movement between saidbase and pusher means whereby said pusher means can conform with thestack of needles being straightened; and,

(e) biasing means for eiiecting compression-producing movement of saidpusher and concurrently providing said angular movement.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said biasing meansincludes a pivoted stem having a threaded connection and aforce-transmitting thrust connection between said threaded connectionand said pusher means which provides angular movement at the surface ofengagement between said pusher means and thrust connection means.

4. Apparatus for straightening knitting machine needles and the like,comprising:

(a) a base having a support surface for receiving a stack of knittingmachine needles for straightening operation,

(b) means forming an abutment against which the stack of knittingmachine needles are thrust during straightening operation,

(:3) pusher means for effecting compressive force against one end of thestack of knitting machine needles which are held at their opposite endby said abutment means and are thereby compressed and straightened, and

((2) cover means for eliecting a transverse compressive action on saidstack of knitting machine needles and which is directed transversely ofthe compressive force effected by said pusher means, thereby to confinethe stack of compressed knitting machine needles during thestraightening operation.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4 including a plurality ofspaced threaded connections adapted to produce a substantially uniformbiasing effort on said cover means whereby compressive force isdistributed across the face of the stack of knitting machine needles asthey are compressed between said abutment means and said pusher means.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5 including complementaryrecess means in said cover for receiving said abutment to providereinforcement thereto during compression of the stack of knittingmachine needles thereagainst.

7. The apparatus in accordarce with claim 4 wherein 5 6 said pushermeans includes oversized elongated tracks References Cited by theExaminer which provide for movement of said pusher means in a UNITEDSTATES PATENTS stack-compressing dlrection, and means pro ectlng fromsaid base and within said tracks to provide compression- 2871448 10/83Logan 153 32 producing movement and limited pivotal movement but 52,822,854 2/58 Berg 153-48 resisting lateral mmement CHARLES W. LANHAM,Primary Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES, COMPRISING: (A)A BASE HAVING A SUPPORT SURFACE FOR RECEIVING KNITTING NEEDLES THEREON,(B) MEANS FORMING AN ABUTMENT AGAINST WHICH A STACK OF ALIGNED NEEDLESARE ADAPTED TO BE THRUST WHEN DISPOSED ON SAID SUPPORT SURFACE, (C)PUSHER MEANS FOR BEARING AGAINST ONE END OF A STACK OF SAID ALIGNEDNEEDLES WHICH ARE HELD AT THE OPPOSED STACK END BY SAID ABUTMENT, (D)BIASING MEANS COACTING WITH SAID PUSHER MEANS AND INCLUDING A CONNECTIONTHEREBETWEEN WHICH PROVIDES FOR LIMITED ANGULAR MOVEMENT OF SAID PUSHERMEANS AND THEREBY PROVIDING EDGE-TO-EDGE CONFORMABLE ENGAGEMENT BETWEENSAID PUSHER MEANS AND THE STACK END OF SAID NEEDLES; AND, (E) A COVERINCLUDING CLAMPING MEMBERS WHEREBY COMPLEMENTARY SURFACES OF THE COVERMEMBER ARE BROUGHT INTO CLAMPING RELATION WITH OPPOSED SURFACES OF SAIDKNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES WHICH ARE THEREBY CONFINED DURING COMPRESSIONBY SAID PUSHER MEANS TO EFFECT A STRAIGHTENING ACTION THEREON.